Forgotten
by Max-Turtle
Summary: He woke to find a dark room, not knowing where he was or why. The only thing he knew was he was alive... Basically an AU where Ao doesn't die...
1. A dark room

He awoke in a haze, head hurting slightly. He was in a strange place, one he didn't recognise. It was a dark room, small beams of fickle light slipping through the cracks of what he assumed was the door. He could see... Out of habit, he put a hand to his eyes, unsure of what he was seeing. Was he dead? He wasn't in heaven, he had done too many bad things to deserve to go to heaven. But it wasn't hell, a place he had heard the villagers describing as a fiery red abyss.

Was he a ghost? He had also heard the villagers talk about them. They were spiritual beings, invisible to the human eye, left on the earth because they had 'unfinished business'.

He looked around again. Hadn't he been blind? For a few minutes before his life ended, he had become completely blind, his eyes never to be used again. His power... Had been completely drained... Transferred from him to Seiryuu…

Seiryuu... Where was he?

He remembered hearing the small boy crying his name as he let out his final breath. Seiryuu... He didn't have human eyes. He had the dragons eyes, foretold to be the best eyes in the whole of Kouka. Perhaps, if he was a ghost... Perhaps Seiryuu could see him...?

He groaned and tried to sit up. It seemed like the villagers had literally thrown him into the room... Well, he was dead... Wasn't he? Trying to move his legs to get into a more comfortable position, he groaned again. If he was a spectral being, his legs wouldn't hurt... Right? So... He could come to the conclusion he wasn't a ghost, at least…

His next problem. Where was he? Even if he could get up and get to the door, once he was outside, or possibly in another room even, where would he go? He didn't even know where he was. Was he... Still in the village? Or did they throw him onto a wagon to be taken to another town? No, he was most likely still in the village…

If, by some miracle, he was still alive, wouldn't he just freak out the villagers more if he walked out? He could try and make a run for it, but the chances of him getting out of the village without somebody recognising him was slim. And, well, it didn't help that his stomach felt like he could eat like there was no tomorrow…

Somewhere behind him, he heard a group of cockroaches scuttle around, searching for their next meal. He got up slowly, stretching his legs as he did so. When he felt stable, he tried to take a step forward, but failing. His instability had caused him to fall face first back to the ground. He started to scowl, getting angry at the fact he couldn't do the simple task of walking to a door. Trying again, he clumsily made his way to the door, leaning on the frame for support when he got there.

Carefully, he opened the door. It led to the outside, at least. He looked around. Even with his now limited vision, he could see where he was; he was at the top of the village, near the village hall. He looked up, towards the stars which had so often given him comfort during his lonelier years.

' _Strange_...' He thought ' _Aren't their usually more stars?_ ' Even up to the point he went blind, he had usually been able to see more stars. He sighed.

Maybe... Maybe it was just a dull night... It _would_ be fitting...

* * *

 **Author Note: The reason why I created this was because when I first watched Akatsuki no Yona, I found that my two favourite characters were Shin-Ah and Ao... So I was kinda sad after episode 12. And then... this story was created...  
I do have future chapters planned, so if you want it to continue, just say so, and it will.  
**


	2. Dream

**A/N: Here's chapter two, just a little explaining chapter, though it didn't really turn out how I wanted it to...  
Just a few points, chapters should be getting a little longer pretty soon, and chapters should be up every second Saturday (Or earlier if I get bored and decide I want to update).  
Also, I live in Australia, so with all of the time differences, my Saturday may be other peoples Friday etc.  
**

 **And I forgot to say in the last chapter, but a quick disclaimer (because I have to...) : I don't own any of the _Akatsuki no Yona_ characters etc.**

* * *

 _The next Seiryuu is just a boy... He does not have the skills to live on his own..._

 _Yet..._

 _He needs guidance, but without having to be dependent on any one person..._

 _You are being given another chance. To live the mortal life you could've had if you had you not been the Seiryuu. To live a full life span, not the short one those with the dragons blood live._

 _Whether you choose to meet with him again or to linger in the shadows to provide help, that is up to you..._

This is like a dream… a vision almost…

A flash of red… hair? Red hair… Hiryuu…?

...

 _But consider yourself fortunate to have this second chance._

What's... happening...?

 _Use it well..._


	3. Sneaking Around

**A/N: So, I know I said I'd be updating every _second_ week, but its been a long week, so I thought I'd treat everyone to another chapter. I might actually update every week, just because I've been getting ahead with writing chapters, so I've got content ready. It'll still be on Saturday though.  
Without further ado (and rambling from me), let the chapter commence!**

* * *

He was sneaking around the village, using the cover of night to hide himself. Up to this point, no one had seen him, as far as he knew. Well... No one had run away yelling 'He's alive!' yet, so he figured he was still concealed. He had decided to check on Seiryuu, even if he didn't speak to him, seeing him and knowing he was okay would be enough. That damn kid, when had he become such an important part of his life?

When he eventually got back to his old house, he sat down outside by the window, being careful not to make a noise. He could faintly hear Seiryuu crying inside. When had he begun to mean so much to the child? He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the child shaking his head, making his bells sound.

" _Oh. That's good. Even though I can't see you, I know where you are_." he had once said.

' _I'm_ _here_...' He wanted to call out. But he didn't. For both of their sakes…

Instead, he quietly walked away, towards the fields outside the town, where the villagers wouldn't be able to find him very easily, ignoring the sting of tears in the corners of his eyes.

He made his decision then. He would watch over Seiryuu, but never interfere. He had to learn to support himself, to not have to depend on anyone else, to deal with the villagers. Being the blue dragon wasn't easy, and if he was going to survive, he'd have to be able to defend and hide himself, as well as living alone for the greater part of his life. Poor kid, he was too kind, too innocent, he didn't deserve any of this...


	4. The Soldiers

**A/N: And here's chapter four! It's a little longer than the other chapters, and from now on I _will_ try to make the chapters longer.  
I've got some plans, but I want to know what everyone's opinions are. Since it's too long to put in an author's note, I'll put the ideas on my profile. It's basically just an explanation so everyone can sort of say where they want the story to go for a few chapters. I explained that really badly, but if you want to know what it's about and want to have a say on where this story is going, just hop over there for a read.  
Sorry for the long ramble, so please, enjoy.**

* * *

The leaves danced around, drifting in the gentle breeze, hiding the stars for brief moments, then revealing them again. The grass swayed as well, in time with the leaves. The clouds, far above the grass and trees, moved across the sky, covering the moon occasionally and plunging the world into darkness. From his place beneath a tree, Ao watched all of this occur. It was different, having a limited vision, it was a change he would have to grow accustomed to in time. After leaving the village and finding a place close enough to be able to see the village, but far enough to not be noticed, he sat himself under a tree that would provide some cover. He could always climb it, if necessary.

He rested his head on an arm, sighing softly. What was happening? One minute he had been dead, the next he was in a dark room, seemingly alive.

He felt alive. He didn't feel empty, or hollow, or however your meant to feel when your dead. He felt... Alive. There was no other way to put it. He felt just the same as he had when he had been in good health. Although, he did feel a little hungrier than normal…

Sometimes, when he lived alone, he would've gone without food. Whether it was from not being able to find anything to cook, or not wanting to have to deal with the villagers in the market, it didn't matter. But after he started looking after Seiryuu, he always made sure to have a meal on the table at least once a day. The birth of the child had ruined the life of its mother. If he was to die of starvation, and a new blue dragon was born, wouldn't that just ruin the life of another family? And, of course, the blame would be put on him – either because he was the one who had starved the child, or just because they needed someone to blame.

Ao was brought back into reality when a rabbit hopped by frantically. Had he had a weapon to catch it with and a fire to cook it on, he would've made a meal of it. But without the necessary equipment, there was no point chasing after it.

' _That's strange... What's a rabbit doing out in the open like this?_ ' He wondered.

The rabbit was bounding away from the nearby forest, which meant there was something in the forest that had been scaring it away in the first place. And judging by how fast the rabbit was trying to run, it wasn't just a wild dog... It was something bigger... And something more dangerous…

Without a weapon, waiting to find out what the mysterious force was to fight it was pointless. So, as quietly as he could, Ao scaled the tree he had been leaning against. He silently hoped he had not been seen by whatever was in the forest, and continued to watch the tree line for the first sight of whatever it was.

At first, a single soldier came out of the brush, into the wide, open space. He was dressed in light armour, and carried only a sword. He wouldn't be too difficult to knock out, Ao decided. If he attacked from behind and had the element of surprise, he could potentially knock him out and take his sword. The small sword of the soldier would be better than nothing, at least.

The appearance of another man dressed the same, however, changed things. The second soldier marched out to the first, and the two started discussing something Ao couldn't hear from the distance. Two soldiers was getting tough. He couldn't take on both at the same time, not barehanded anyway. Had he been with a sword, things would've been different – he could've taken the two easily, especially with his recently recovered stability.

Slowly, more soldiers started coming out from the tree line. One by one, they all lined up in the field, in a formation that suggested they were marching to a battle.

Suddenly, the rabbits idea of bolting and getting as far away as it could seemed like a good idea. But if Ao were to jump down from the tree at that moment and make a run for it, he would've surely been seen. His best hope was to stay secluded in the tree as long as he could.

The group, having become the size of a small army, began to march. They marched away from the forest, and towards…

They were heading towards the village. Of course…

The day he had "died", Ao remembered hearing Seiryuu say something about a man running away. At the time, he had been too focused on the fact he was finally blind to take any notice in what the kid had said. Had he listened, he would've realised that yes, one man did run away. And that one man must have told an army about the location of the blue dragons village.

And here the army was, ready to march on the village to try and take Seiryuu for his power...


	5. Aftermath and Flashback

**A/N: This is only half of the original chapter I was going to put up, but I couldn't finish the other half in time, so that will be put up next week...  
But I'm really happy with how this half of the chapter turned out! I think it's kinda cute...**

* * *

Seiryuu... What has he done…

The soldiers had almost reached the village. They had marched over the fields and had just about reached the foot of the village. None of the villagers had noticed, the main part of he village was further up the mountain. Even if they did know though, it wouldn't help. The villagers weren't trained in combat. They hadn't seen it necessary since there would always be a blue dragon to hunt people down if word got out. And, well... Nothing else like this had ever really happened.

Of course, there had been a few minor cases of people running away from the village, but there had never been a time like this when a _whole army of soldiers_ had arrived on the doorstep.

Slowly, the villagers had started to walk out, towards the field. As the rain started and the lightening flashed, the horrified looks on their faces was understandable. Ao was wearing a similar expression.

In the middle of a field, surrounded by dead soldiers, was Seiryuu.

He had used the power of his eyes to defeat all of the soldiers, paralysing their hearts and making a quick job of it. Shortly after, he fainted, falling on his face.

Ao was struggling to not jump down from the tree, run through the crowd of villagers that had formed, and check on Seiryuu.

" _Those eyes carry a curse! If you use them, the curse will return to you. Paralysing your enemies will paralyse yourself! It's a double edged sword!"_

Ao had said that to him... Warned him about it... But it seemed as though Seiryuu had thought there was no other option.

' _Those eyes should only be used as a last resort..._ ' he thought.

He could hardly blame the child though. He must have been scared. He was young, and he was alone.

As the storm got progressively worse, the villagers started to turn around to go back to the village. Soon, the last of the villagers had left, leaving Seiryuu alone in the field of dead soldiers.

It was then that Ao realised what had happened.

None of the villagers had been brave enough to approach him, let alone carry him back to the village, despite the fact he was unconscious _and_ paralysed and wouldn't be able to do anything. So they had walked away, leaving him in an unconscious face plant.

What...? Did none of them care that this was a four year old child who just saved their lives?! And it was raining! The kid could catch some sort of sickness. And no one would be there to comfort him anymore...

He'd be alone... In a cold house, sick...

No child deserves that…

Ao remembered one day, when Seiryuu had been sick. He had made broth. It wasn't something they could've afforded to make on a daily basis. Only on particular occasions, like when one of them was sick…

 **A** **FEW MONTHS BEFORE** **...**

 _Seiryuu coughed violently, curling in on himself as he lay on his small 'bed', which was no more than a few layers of material on the floor. He scrunched up his eyes, wanting to cry but knowing he shouldn't. His mask was on the floor next to him, he had taken it off for comfort. Well, it wasn't like he wanted to paralyse Ao anyway…_

 _"Seiryuu, sit up." A voice came from the opposite side of the small hut._

 _The boy obliged, sitting up and leaning against the wall for support. He kept his head turned the other way._

 _"Drink." Ao told him, handing him a bowl with liquid in it._

 _Seiryuu took the bowl. He raised it to his lips and drank. After draining the bowl, he handed it back to Ao._

 _"Good. Now, rest again." Ao said._

 _Seiryuu went back to lying down, but instead of falling asleep, he stared at the ceiling, tracing the patterns of the roof with his eyes. He had been sleeping for most of the day, if not all of it. He wasn't tired any more…_

 _Seiryuu listened as Ao opened the door to go outside, maybe to find something to eat. Food wasn't always easy to come by, and Seiryuu had only ever accompanied Ao once when he had gone hunting. It hadn't been very interesting. It involved a lot less of actual hunting, and a lot more of standing still, and being stealthy._

 _That's when both of the blue dragons had realised - four year olds aren't very stealthy…_

 _Sure, Seiryuu could stand still and not make a noise, but moving stealthily was a completely different matter. He wasn't used to watching where he put each step and treading lightly._

 _Seiryuu, lost in thought, didn't realise how long he had been daydreaming. Ao came back in, leaning his sword against the wall._

 _He quickly turned over, facing towards the wall so he would look like he was asleep.  
"Seiryuu, I know your awake." Ao said._

 _Seiryuu turned over, and looked at Ao. It was one of the rare times both of their eyes met, without any masks in between. Seiryuu could swear that Ao was hiding a smile._

 _"Ao... I've been sleeping all day... I don't feel like sleeping anymore..." He said.  
"Mn. We'll go for a walk, it might help." Ao suggested._

 _Seiryuu nodded, and slowly got up. He walked towards the door, where Ao was still standing, before he remembered. He looked back, to where his mask was still lying on the floor._

 _"Don't bother, we're not going into the village." Ao said, as if knowing what he was thinking.  
Seiryuu nodded again, and continued towards the door._

 _The wind was nice, not too wild, but not too soft. Seiryuu hummed as he felt the wind on his face, something he didn't get to feel very often._

" _Come on." Ao said, reminding him that thy were only out for a short walk.  
They walked down the hill, and out towards one of the nearby rivers. When they got there, however, instead of turning around and walking straight back, Ao surprised him by sitting down a short distance from the edge of the water running by._

 _Seiryuu tilted his head in confusion.  
"We're outside. May as we'll enjoy it here while we can..." Ao explained.  
Seiryuu nodded, joining his predecessor by the river.  
They sat there for a while, just enjoying the breeze, the view, and the solitude._

 _It was one type of alone they didn't mind. Usually, being the blue dragon and being alone meant living in a small house, making your own meals, living by yourself until a new blue dragon was born. But sitting by a river, just the two of them, no villagers to annoy them, it was enjoyable. And it was something they didn't get to experience very often._

 _"Ao," Seiryuu said, breaking the silence. "There's fish." He finished by pointing to a spot in the water.  
"We'll come back later, maybe we can catch some for dinner..." Ao agreed._

 _They settled back into a comfortable silence. Eventually, Ao leaned back, lying on the grass. Seiryuu looked down._

 _"Ao, can I lie down too?" He asked.  
Ao opened one eye to look back up at him.  
'_Damn kid, of course he can... _' he thought. But it wouldn't do the kid well to know he was thinking that...  
"Fine." Ao said in a gruff voice. He closed his eyes and went back to relaxing._

 _Seiryuu, who was slightly smiling due to the unexpected answer his predecessor gave, moved around until he was comfortable and then leaned back.  
Ao opened his eyes and looked over to the kid. Seiryuu had moved from next to him so that he could lean against his arm._

 _He looked upside down to Ao.  
"Should I move?" He asked, seemingly thinking that he had done wrong.  
Ao gave one of his rare, genuine smiles. "No, just don't wriggle around…"_

 _Seiryuu smiled again, and went back to looking at the clouds. It made a nice change to the roof he had been staring at for the whole day, and a bit of the day before._

 _Seiryuu, who had just begun to enjoy the day, slowly fell back to sleep, comforted by the warm arm-pillow he was using, and the knowledge that Ao would most likely carry him back home from not wanting to wake him up..._


	6. The Rain and the Forest

**A/N: So where I am right now, its midnight, and I've spent the last hour looking over this chapter and fixing it up...  
This didn't exactly go the way I wanted it to, but at least its out...** **Minor implied spoiler for the power of Ouryuu.  
And I just want to say ahead of time: I'm not very good with dialogue. So if, near the end, it gets worse, that's either because I was sort of rushing to get it written in time, or because its late and I'm tired...  
It was meant to end a bit differently, the dialogue section was meant to last longer, but I was just trying to get it finished, and I guess it still turned out okay...  
Sorry for the ramble, and please, enjoy.**

* * *

Ao jumped down from the tree as carefully and quietly as he could. He solemnly walked up the little hill towards Seiryuu, who was still unconscious… And he would be for a while yet…

Ao knelt down and turned him over, before checking to make sure he was still breathing.

He was… Good…

' _Damn kid almost killed himself_ ' he thought.

Ao gently scooped him up in his arms and held him close. He was soaked from all of the rain. His whole body was cold. If he didn't get warm soon… he didn't want to think about it…

By the time the rain had started, all of the other kids in the village probably would've been either asleep, or huddled with family. None of the other children would've had to lie out in the open, unconscious, while the rain beat down on them. None of the other kids would've been _left in the rain_ by the villagers who were too scared to approach them…

With Seiryuu in his arms, Ao carefully stood back up, and started towards the village. He kept Seiryuu close to him, to try and warm him up. His skin was as cold as ice…

The walk back to the village didn't take a long time. Ao wanted to get back to the house and leave Seiryuu there as soon as possible. He didn't want to take a chance on being seen, by the villagers or by Seiryuu himself. By the time they got back to the small house, Ao's clothes were also soaked. The rain had been relentless.

Ao gently laid Seiryuu down on what was considered his 'bed'. He pulled a blanket up around the young boy. He knew he would have to leave soon, as much as he didn't want to.

As Ao started for the door, he heard a small sound from the corner of the room. He turned around to see Seiryuu slightly stirring, as much movement as he could manage while he was paralysed.

Once again, Ao could feel tears forming. It felt cruel, to leave a child alone... Any child... But especially a child he had practically raised himself, and had grown attached to…

Not that he would admit it... Any of it…

After quietly closing the door, Ao leant on it. How was he going to live through this? It was practically torture. Knowing he would be able to see Seiryuu, but never talk to him…

Eventually, he worked up the determination to walk away. Again. This was the second time in one night that he'd had to leave the little hut that had been his home for thirty three years, and the boy he had known for four years…

He walked towards the tree line closest to the house, to hide himself. Not from Seiryuu, not yet. He'd be unconscious for a while yet, and even if he did wake up, he wouldn't be able to move for at least a few days, maybe even a week. He was hiding from the villagers. Chances were they would send some 'poor frightened soul' to look for Seiryuu once they discovered he wasn't out in the fields, and in doing so, there was a chance that the 'poor frightened soul' would accidentally find Ao. The 'poor frightened soul' would probably pass out upon seeing him, thinking that he had been dead. And the last thing they needed was the whole village assuming that Seiryuu had tried to kill the man.

As Ao continued into the forest, he began to have a strange feeling. Like someone was watching him... He walked a bit faster, thinking that if it was one of the villagers, he would want to get away as fast as possible. The sound of a breaking twig beneath someone's foot only made walk even faster. He could climb a tree, but what use would that do? By the sounds of it, whoever the person was, they had already seen him. Ao risked a quick glance behind him, to try and find out who the person was. He almost tripped.

Even in the dim light from the sky being covered by the trees, casting the person in almost complete darkness, and the brief view Ao had gotten in the few milliseconds he had turned around in, the person was unmistakable. Ao stopped walking almost at once.

"Haven't seen you in a while..." He said. It was only then that he had realised he hadn't spoken once since he had "died".

The mysterious person caught up to Ao, and smiled. "I was starting to think you'd never stop!" He said, much too cheerfully.  
"Well, maybe if you had announced yourself, I wouldn't have thought you were a villager." Ao continued. "What are you doing here anyway, Zeno?"  
Zeno beamed up at him. "Just doing rounds, checking on little Seiryuu." He adopted a more serious expression. "I know that he's the blue dragon now. But what about you? Why are you here?"

Ao was tempted to laugh, if it hadn't been such a serious moment. "Do you mean why am I in a dark forest in the middle of the night? Or why am I alive?" He asked, paused for a moment, and then proceeded to explain. "I'm watching over Seiryuu, to put it simply."  
Zeno nodded. "Where are you going to go? You can't stay in the village, but you can't stay in the forest indefinitely."

Ao scowled. "I'll figure it out as I go along. I wasn't exactly planning to _not_ die..."  
"Well, I wish you luck, my friend." Zeno laughed. Ao frowned.  
"Leaving already?" He asked.  
Zeno nodded. "I've got things to do, for once." He said with a far off look. "But I'll make sure to come back soon!"  
He started to walk back from where he had come from, before he turned around.  
"Farewell!" He called, waving.  
Ao gave a quick wave in return, before going back to his problem.

After walking a little deeper into the forest to where, hopefully, no one would find him that night, he sat down against a tree, settling into a comfortable position. It was unlikely he'd get any sleep that night, given the circumstances...


	7. Moving

**A/N: Chapter seven is finally done! There's not really much to say about this chapter, so instead of some long ramble, I will just say one thing.  
Line breakers are to separate different days, since this chapter is over the course of a few weeks.  
Enjoy!**

* * *

Seiryuu had woken up two days after he had blacked out. It was a week and a few days until he fully recovered his strength and mobility. The villagers had sent someone down to him to notify him that the village was moving locations. At least, that's what Ao had gathered…

It was approximately two weeks after the time Seiryuu had woken up. The villagers had all woken up before dawn, as well as sending someone down to Seiryuu to wake him up. It was the first of many days that the villagers would use to travel to the new location of the village, somewhere deep in the mountains, where hopefully no one would ever be able to find them…

* * *

Ao had followed a day or so behind the villagers and Seiryuu, close enough to know where they were going, but far enough away that hopefully no one would accidentally see him. They were only three days into the journey, and hadn't traveled very far. But moving a whole village was never going to be easy or quick. So they were doing well considering the circumstances…

* * *

It was now six days after the villagers had left. Night had settled and almost everyone was asleep, save for a few of the men who were awake to keep guard. Over the course of the day, Ao had managed to catch up to the villagers, and had stayed in the shadows of the treeline to wait until night. He had gone too long without checking on Seiryuu, and had decided to do a quick check.

It was unlikely the villagers had been treating him fairly. Sure, they were now technically responsible for keeping him safe, until he could use a sword properly, but that wouldn't stop the fear they held for all blue dragons. And even if they did have to keep him safe, it didn't mean that they had to show him any kind of special treatment…

' _Stop it…'_ Ao thought to himself, annoyed. ' _If I keep thinking like this, nothings going to be able to stop me from going into their camp and taking him out of there… away from them…'_

Following the shadows, he quietly made his way towards one end of the camp. There, he found the sight he was desperately hoping he would not see…

Seiryuu, alone, away from any of the villagers. They had at least had enough sense to not to make him sleep near the edge of the camp, where anyone that could walk by could take him. But it still didn't change the fact that he was sleeping out on the cold, hard ground, with only his few small layers of material as his bedding. At least when they had lived in the hut, it had been inside. The hut itself wasn't very impressive, but it kept the wind and weather out…

Ao sighed, realising it was pointless to stay any longer. He'd just keep having thoughts about Seiryuu alone, and would possibly try to steal him away from the camp. Not that it would do anyone any good, least of all him. Especially if his plan was to stay hidden…

* * *

From the information Ao had gathered from overheard conversations between the guards, they had almost reached the new location for the village.

For the past few weeks, Ao had practically been living off berries and plants, anything he could find in the forests that wasn't poisonous… The advantage of having to hunt around for his own food for most of his life was that in situations like this, when he had no weapons, he could identify edible plants as a source of food.

Other than that, one day, he had made a trap out of some sticks and dry grass, something simple that didn't require a lot of resources. He had thought it to be a good idea at the time, but after later checking it to see if it had successfully caught anything, it hadn't, to his disappointment. Although, it was probably for the better, considering he didn't have anything to skin or cook any animals with…

* * *

It had taken a little under two weeks, but the villagers had finally managed to make it to their new village. Fortunately, it had been an uneventful travel, no bandits had turned up, and they encountered none of the capitals armies.

The new location was set into the mountains. Mist surrounded it, seeming to hide the new village at times, making it seem like it was only a normal mountain…

Forests and cliffs surrounded the area, giving good coverage for Ao to hide in. He stood at the top of a cliff, somewhere to the left of the village. He wasn't being overly careful of hiding in the tree line, since none of the villagers, or Seiryuu, had bothered to look up at anything other than the new village.

The villagers started to head inside, led by the village elder. Eventually, one of the women, who Ao remembered to be the more sympathetic type, approached Seiryuu. She was one of the only people in the village that didn't completely fear the blue dragons. Yes, she still had the fear that every villager had, it was something no one in the village could escape, but she had seemed to at least realise Seiryuu's situation, and had acted with some sympathy. She seemingly told him to head inside.

After everyone had entered the new village, Ao sighed and leaned against a nearby tree, realising that there was nothing more he could do. He couldn't enter the village, but he couldn't stay up on the cliff… he had a strange feeling of déjà vu… it was like when Zeno had asked him where he was going to stay…

Realising the was no reason to stay any longer, Ao started to turn back, to walk back to the old village. He wasn't originally planning to go back, but it would provide him with somewhere to stay, and it wasn't too far away. In the two weeks it had taken the whole village to walk the journey, he could easily make it in just a few days, maybe even one if he pushed himself.

With one last look at the new village, which looked just as abandoned as it did before the villagers entered, Ao left, back towards the old village...


	8. Watching The Sunrise

**A/N: Chapter Eight! I managed to make the dialogue go longer this chapter, and I thought this chapter was shorter than it actually is, so I'm happy it didn't turn out as a tiny little thing...  
I like to draw in my spare time sometimes, so hopefully I'll have some artwork for this story soon!  
**

* * *

A year after everything had happened, Ao had now gotten into a routine of traveling between the two villages. Roughly every month, for his own peace of mind, he would travel to... Not the new village, it wasn't new anymore... He would travel to the village, to stand on the cliffs, and just stay there for a while, thinking about his predicament, before eventually heading back home.

Home... Technically, the whole village; the old village; was his home now. He was free to roam wherever he wanted, and not be repressed by the villagers that feared him. They were all gone now, all at the other village…

But that meant... They were there with Seiryuu…

It was okay though... One time when Ao had traveled to the village, he had been lucky enough to arrive at one of the rare times Seiryuu had been allowed out of the village to practice with his sword.  
Seiryuu, who was now five years old, would travel to a clearing just past the front of the village, where none of the villagers would disturb him, it seemed. From there, he would take off his mask, for comfort, and start his practice. Ao had been able to watch this from behind a tree on the cliff to the side that wrapped around the area, forming an alcove of protection for the village. It was strange, how often people didn't look up. Even Seiryuu, who had the dragons eyes and would be able to see far beyond the limits of normal men, never looked up, unless he was to look at the sky.

At the end of his practice session, Seiryuu had sat down and leaned against a fallen tree to watch the clouds. It was his small bit of freedom, to be able to watch as the clouds changed and moved above him. Ao had sighed, thinking of the day they had gone for a walk to the river. It was one of those days he never wanted to forget…

* * *

It was late at night, the whole of Kouka was bathed in black. Ao had just returned from the village, and was walking back. He had intended to be back before dark, but had decided to walk slower.

Despite him now having the ability to go wherever he wanted in the old village, he still stayed in the same place most of the time, in his old house. It was oddly comforting, to stay in the place he knew.  
When he finally got back, if was pretty much midnight. He walked into his house, before gently falling on to his bed, which just like Seiryuu's, was only a few layers of material. Being the blue dragon, he had never been able to afford much, bedding included...

* * *

As the sun rose, so did Ao. In the time he didn't spend walking between the two villages, he mostly wandered around, and sometimes practiced with his sword.

He had always known it was good to have a backup, which was why he had another sword… And Seiryuu had taken his old one with him…

Slowly, Ao got up, walking outside and into the village. Even though he walked between the two villages every month, he had gotten into the habit of walking around the village every morning for exercise.

He walked up towards the top of the village. Being a very mountainous area, there were many cliffs around, including a few small cliffs around the village. He stood at the edge of one of the small cliffs, watching the sky change to blue as the sun rose in the sky.

"It's quite beautiful, isn't it?" Came a voice from behind him. Ao turned around, although he already knew who it was.  
"It never gets old, watching the sunrise." Zeno said.  
"Mm..." Ao agreed. "If your here to see Seiryuu, the whole village has moved-"  
"I know. I went there before." Zeno cut him off. "I'm here to see you. We haven't talked in a while!" He said happily.  
Ao suppressed a smile. Somehow, Zeno always managed to brighten things up…

"It doesn't seem fair, on either of you, what you're doing..." Zeno started. "Seiryuu's so young, most kids his age don't have to deal with anything like this, and-"  
Ao sighed and cut him off. "He's only young in the eyes of someone like you..."  
Zeno shook his head. "He's still young, and it doesn't change the fact that he shouldn't have to go through this. He's probably having the worst time of his life because he's under the impression you're gone forever."  
Ao turned away from the sunrise to look at Zeno, who returned the gaze.

"And he will stay under that impression for a few more years until there is a suitable time to tell him what happened." He said.  
Zeno went back to looking at the sky, the far off look he'd had in his eyes so often was back again, as if he was remembering some long ago memory.

"As for not being fair on you, well... You're going to be following Seiryuu around for – as you said – years, but you're never going to be able to talk with him..."  
Ao scowled. "Hmph... Don't remind me. It's going to be a long few years. It's not like I really _want_ to do this..."  
Zeno actually had the audacity to laugh.  
' _O_ _f course he does, he is Zeno after all..._ ' Ao mused.

"Of course you want to do this! You wouldn't have started this or still be here if you didn't want to!" He said.  
"I really hate to admit it... But you're right..." Ao groaned.  
Zeno laughed again, but this time more subtly and controlled.

"Ao... You're growing sentimental..." He said.  
"If I have to grow sentimental in order to do this, then that's what I'll do. I've already left Seiryuu once... I know this won't be easy, but I've got the chance to do this, I won't leave him again..." Ao said confidently. He heard the sound of failing to hide laughter, and turned to face Zeno once more. Zeno noticed, and smiled – the smile reached his eyes.

"Ao...?"  
"Mn?" Ao hummed in reply.  
"You should become a poet. With words like that, you'd be a huge success!" He said brightly.  
Ao scowled again. "My goal is to remain hidden. If I wanted to be noticed, I'd walk right into the village and talk to everyone like nothing ever happened."  
"Well, good luck my friend. You'll be needing it." Zeno offered.  
Ao hesitated. "...I'll take all the luck I can get…"

With that, the two of them stood on the cliff and continued to watch the sun slowly creep up as the day went on...


	9. The Mysterious Group

**A/N: For this chapter, its the official start of the main-ish story line. This is set thirteen years after chapter eight, and its pretty much Ao's point of view of the anime episodes. This chapter is for episodes twelve, thirteen and fourteen, and each "episode" is separated by a line breaker.  
Also, in the past week, I had a little spare time, so I experimented with an idea for a future chapter and I honestly can't wait until this story gets up to that point...  
One other thing: After this story gets past the point of the anime episodes, it'll sort of be taking its own course rather than following the manga word-for-word like I'll be doing with the anime episodes. I have read the manga, and it will be _loosely_ following the manga, but it'll also sort of be an independent-ish story line with some differences.**

* * *

It was time for Ao to travel to the village again. His routine of travelling had begun to get tedious, but if it was for Seiryuu, he'd just have to grin and bear it…

He arrived on the cliffs as he always did, and looked out in front of the village. It was quite a foggy day. Leaning against a tree like usual, he closed his eyes and relaxed.

Voices from down below attracted his attention. At first, he thought it was just some villagers, but they hadn't come from the village, they were going towards it, from what he could tell…

Curiosity piqued, he leaned forward off the tree, leaning out towards the edge of the cliff. He could vaguely make out the shapes of four people. One of them was slightly taller than the others…

Although he couldn't hear exactly what they were saying, he could hear murmurs between them.  
The fog started to easy up a little, showing more of the mysterious group.

At the front was a young girl with short red hair who wore a cloak, followed closely by a slightly taller man with white hair and white robes. Behind them was the tall man with black hair, who wore blue robes, and... Ao couldn't tell if the last one was a boy or girl…

The man in white stepped forward and said something. Ao looked him over. His right hand was wrapped up, as if he was trying to conceal it... But he didn't do a very good job, Ao could just see the ends of his…

…They weren't fingers…

Ao stared at the man, glad that no one in the mysterious group had noticed him yet. Even with the distance between them, Ao could see that the man's 'fingers' weren't fingers at all, and we're in fact claws. Which could only mean one thing…

He was the white dragon…

Ao looked back to the girl at the front. Red hair... Could she be the reincarnation of Hiryuu?  
Ao sat back against the tree, taking it all in. If the girl was Hiryuu, and the white haired man was Hakuryuu, then were they possibly here to get Seiryuu too?

Closing his eyes, Ao sighed as the group headed into the village.

* * *

Ao's curiosity had gotten the better of him. Instead of his usual routine of walking back after a few hours, he had decided to stay and wait for the mysterious people to leave again. It was practically the most interesting thing that he had seen in almost fourteen years.

Nothing changed for a while. Maybe they had just been some people doing business? …No, it was too much of a coincidence for it to be anything normal…

About an hour after the group had entered, the earth shook. Loose rocks on the side of the mountain village tumbled down. If this was what an earthquake could do to the outside, Ao dreaded to think what had happened on the inside.

He considered going into the village. They wouldn't have made Seiryuu live outside the mountain, unlike the small hut they used to live in in the previous village. So the only other option would've been to hide him in the deepest part of the village... And the most dangerous in moments like these when the rocks fell…

' _G_ _oing in there will mean I'll be sacrificing staying hidden..._ ' Ao mused.

He eventually decided to not go in. Seiryuu had handled himself in worse situations. And who was to say there hadn't been previous earthquakes worse than the one they'd just been through? He would be fine…

Hopefully...

* * *

After the earthquake, nothing in the village moved. No noises came from it to indicate anything different to the usual. Ao wasn't sure whether to be glad it seemed that nothing happened, or worried that something did happen and it just wasn't obvious…

After another few minutes of waiting, a group of people came out from the front of the village, and went round to one of the lower areas… Including the black haired man from the mysterious group... But none of the other people were there... There was no sign of the red haired girl, Hakuryuu or the other kid…

They started attacking one of the walls, the villagers using knives and daggers, and the black haired man using what seemed to be a type of glaive.

The only possible situation Ao could think of was that one of the walls had collapsed and had trapped some of the villagers, so they had sent a group of people to try and dig them out…

It took a while, but eventually the villagers and the black haired man had managed to break through the wall. After the dust and dirt cleared, Ao could start to see inside. The black haired man was holding the red haired girl close to him.  
' _Ah, that explains why he was there... He was trying to get to them._ ' Ao thought.

The villagers started getting out through the newly formed hole, most of them holding daggers or knives too. It seemed they had been digging from the inside too.

The red haired girl and the other three people from her group got out too, going to stand somewhere off to the side.

The last person to leave was Seiryuu. Ao watched as he went to go stand as far away from everyone else as was possible. From where Ao was, the small amount of inside cave he could see showed that the room was quite empty. It was unlikely the villagers would've let Seiryuu roam freely, so he must have practically lived in that area. It was a sad thought, that the villagers were so scared of him that he wasn't even provided with a proper living space. There was a tunnel that probably lead to some other part of the village, but Ao doubted it was much better…  
' _He has grown up a lot since I last saw him though..._ ' Ao thought.

The mysterious group started talking amongst themselves again, before the red haired girl walked away from them. She walked towards where Seiryuu was standing. She spoke a couple of words to him, then extended her hand towards him.  
' _Is she... Offering to take him with them...? Or saying thank you...?_ ' Ao wondered.

His question was answered soon enough.

After a few moments hesitation, Seiryuu accepted her hand. The rest of her group walked over to join them.  
' _So they're taking him with them... That's good... He'll get a chance to see more of the world than just a rock..._ ' Ao thought.

The red haired girl turned around to face the villagers. She yelled to them, loud enough that Ao could hear from up on the cliffs.  
"Thank you for your hospitality!" She called.  
' _H_ _ospitality?_ ' Ao thought. ' _I can't imagine those lot being hospitable... She's probably just being kind…_ '

The group started to walk towards the path away from the village. Seiryuu turned to face the villagers and bowed. Even though he hadn't been treated fairly, he'd still thanked them in his own way...  
As he faced the villagers, a small squirrel, by the looks of it, had run up to sit on his shoulder.  
' _Good... He wasn't always alone..._ ' Ao sighed.

As Seiryuu turned around to rejoin the group, a string broke, and the bells he had found as a child fell to the ground. He looked at them for a few seconds, before turning around to join the red haired girl and her friends, who had waited for him a few metres ahead. The group set off, heading to their next unknown destination.

The villagers exchanged a few glances and words, but soon started to head back into the village.  
Ao was still in a state of surprise. Seiryuu had left his bells, the bells he had always thought was a way for Ao to find him. But it was good, in a way. He was moving on…

Realising that the area in front of the village was now empty, Ao got up from underneath the tree, quickly putting on his cloak.

One day, while he had been walking around the old village, he had come across an old cloak someone had seemingly left behind. It had been a bit big for him, but it would do…

He started heading down the cliff, where a rough path was formed. He had to circle round a bit, but eventually managed to make it to the ground.

He had put on the cloak just in case. He didn't think that he would need it, but if one of the villagers came out to pick up something they had left outside, Ao didn't want them screaming ' _dead man walking_ '.

He got to the path where the group had left from. If any of the members of the red haired girls group had turned around after they rounded the corner, they would've noticed the man in the black cloak bending to pick up the abandoned bells…

Ao looked at the bells he now held in his hand. He put them in a pocket and sighed.

After a brief moments pause, he took a step towards the forest, where he would hide until the next day, so he could then follow the group a day behind.

It seemed like he _would_ get to see more of Kouka in his life time...


	10. Exploring Awa

**A/N: Apologies if there's any errors, so if there are any, I'll try to fix them up tomorrow.  
On a good note, I'm on holidays! So (hopefully) I'll have more time to write, and easier access to internet!  
** **In this chapter, I thought there wouldn't be much to write if I just did the anime episodes from Ao's point of view, so I had a little fun with writing a chapter that happens after the group leaves Awa.**

* * *

As Ao stood on the cliffs above the town, the smells that flooded in from below him were quite strong. The smells were from a mix of different types of foods and the general smell of a working town.

After watching the events in Awa from a cliff somewhere over to the side of the port town, Ao knew that the group had left.

He had decided to treat himself, go down to Awa and walk around for a bit. Maybe buy some food to eat, something he hadn't eaten in a while…

' _Fish would be nice…_ ' he thought.

Ao walked down from the cliff to the front entrance to the port town. It was the first time he had been anywhere near another town since he left the blue dragons village…

But it was also the first time he had been _anywhere_ other than the blue dragons village… It was strange, being somewhere he had absolutely no knowledge of…

Some of the shops along the main street were closed. Some of them were boarded up and some were even trashed. People looked like they were recovering from something, although they seemed happy about it mostly.

A few people had small stalls set up in front of shops, selling small amounts of food at low prices just to get some money. Ao walked up to one particular stall that was selling baked goods. They had bread and cakes, some pies… all baked within the week too…

' _How long has it been since I've had_ fresh _food…?_ ' Ao wondered.

Ao payed for a small loaf of bread. He was about to walk away when the stall keeper started talking.

"Haven't seen you around here before… Are you part of that group that joined the pirates the other day?" the stall keeper asked.

Ao considered running for it. He was trying to remain unnoticed! Then again, running away would just cause more suspicion… He countered the question with one of his own.

"Pirates?" he asked, trying not to sound like he was trying to get information. The stall keeper nodded.

"The pirates of Awa. There was a group of strange people that passed through here, left yesterday. Apparently they helped the pirates defeat Yan Kumji. People are saying it was the young girl who was the one to shoot him." the mans brow furrowed when Ao hesitated to answer. "Are you a part of their group? You look like you could be-"

"Look? What do you mean I 'look like I could be a part of their group'?" Ao asked.

The stall keeper lodged into a giant description.

"There was the girl who had unusual red hair, and her friend who looked ordinary but was stronger than anyone I've ever heard of, there was a man with a hand that looked like it had claws, another man that wore a strange mask and had a squirrel with him, although he didn't come into Awa until later in the day, and there was a young boy that made the most amazing soup! He was the only one that seemed normal… You'd fit right in to their little group, seeing as you have hair like that… I'm not saying its bad, just… different… Also, you've got a sword, and I'm betting you know how to use it..." the man said enthusiastically.

Ao looked at the man dryly. He hadn't wanted a full on explanation. The man looked slightly taken back by the bored look.

"Ah… also, Jae-ha left to join them, even though he said he never wanted to. Said something about 'not being able to leave a pretty girl when he had the opportunity to follow her'. It sounds like something he'd say, but the other pirates said he left for some other reason." the man added.

Ao looked up from his bread, which he had taken an interest to during the stall keepers rant.

"Who's Jae-ha?" he asked.

"I didn't really know him myself. If you want to find out more, you'll have to talk to the other pirates. Most of them have gone back to being fishermen. Others left wanting to stay with a life of action rather than coming home smelling like fish everyday…" the man answered.

Ao nodded slowly, and turned around to walk off.

"See ya round." the man called.

Ao didn't bother to turn around. "Unlikely…" he said to himself quietly. He walked further into the port town, towards where the town ended and the ocean started.

* * *

If Ao had thought that the view from the cliffs was amazing, he was wrong. From the port, standing next to the water, it washed up against the shore, then went back out to sea. It was nothing like the rivers and waterfalls near the village. From the shoreline, the sea went out, to the horizon until you wouldn't be able to see it anymore…

How anyone would ever want to leave the place, Ao didn't know. Being able to wake up, and take a quick walk to be able to see the view would be amazing.

But then again, if what the stall keeper had said was true, then perhaps the locals had wanted to leave to escape the memories of what had happened.

Ao sighed, contented at that moment, with the view and his situation.  
He knew from his last conversation with Zeno that he would be joining the young girls group soon.  
Maybe, in a short while... A few days... A few weeks... Ao would join them too... And he'd finally be able to see Seiryuu again...

* * *

 **I really feel like eating a nice slice of bread now...**

 **Ah... we are getting _very_ close to reunion time, as is hinted...**


	11. Staying In Awa

**A/N: I went back and fixed up a few of the errors in the previous chapter.  
Oh, and I changed the summary for the story too.  
For this chapter, it was sort of just a bit of filler. It's a bit of a shorter chapter, but the next chapter will be quite long (hopefully) if I manage to get it all done...  
And for those who are wondering, it reunion chapter _should_ be chapter twelve... I hope...  
** **Fingers crossed...**

* * *

Ao had to thank Zeno for a lot when he next saw him. For a start, if Zeno hadn't been there every now and then for fourteen years, Ao was sure he would've done something stupid. Like walk into the village and start talking to people. At least seeing Zeno every once in a while, even if only briefly, meant he got some socialisation.

Ao also knew that once Zeno joined the red haired girls group, he would be leaving a very subtle trail that no one else would notice, so Ao could eventually catch up to them. It was very possible that Zeno had already joined their group and was travelling with them.

It had been a week since the group had left Awa. Ao had decided that with Zeno leaving a trail, he didn't need to _urgently_ follow them like he did before, now that he would know where they were going, instead of travelling a day behind them by following their footsteps. And since Ao didn't need to be travelling a day behind them, he figured it would be okay to stay in Awa for a few more days.

Over the course of the week Ao had spent in Awa, he had been surprised by how the town was run. Given the fact they had just had 'Lord' defeated by a young girl, the port town was coping surprisingly well. In fact, rather than becoming more dysfunctional, the townspeople pulled themselves together more and more each day. In just one week, they had started already rebuilding some of the shops along the main street that had been trashed.

Ao looked out over the town from the window of the room he was staying in. After the blue dragons village had moved, some of the villagers had left behind possessions in order to travel light. Some of them had left behind money. Originally Ao hadn't wanted to go through everyone's houses, but he had had enough spare time on his hands that he ended up wandering around the town anyway… Which was the reason he had money to buy food and rent a room in an inn.

And Zeno had been kind enough to lend him money…

 **A FEW WEEKS BEFORE…**

" _So, Ao, how's travelling? Better than staying in an abandoned village by yourself?" Zeno asked happily.  
Ao looked up from the food he was eating. He had been in the middle of finding something to eat when Zeno had stumbled across his makeshift camp. Somehow, Zeno was always able to find him. And he couldn't claim he was using his 'dragon senses' anymore, since Ao was no longer the blue dragon._

" _Anythings better than staying in that village for a long amount of time. I thought it was bad when all of the villagers were there… but being the only one there is worse… I've got way too much free time…" Ao replied. Zeno gave a short laugh, but continued to eat. The rest of their lunch break was spent in silence._

" _Are you going to follow them again tomorrow?" Zeno asked, breaking the silence.  
_ " _I suppose so. Don't see why not..." Ao said thoughtfully. Zeno reached into a pocket and produced a small pouch. The contents made a slight jingling noise._

" _From what I can tell, the group is travelling that way," Zeno paused to point in a direction. "to find Ryokuyuu. If I remember correctly, that's the direction of the port town, Awa." He held out the pouch. "Once they've left, go down to Awa. Enjoy yourself. Eat something. Sleep in a proper bed."_

 _Ao looked at the pouch. "Thanks, but no thanks. I don't really have any intentions of going into a big town or staying there for any length of time."_

 _Zeno's brow furrowed. He tossed the bag into Ao's lap.  
_ " _Zeno… You don't need to give me money or anything…" Ao tried to say, but Zeno cut him off.  
_ " _Take it. I've been wandering around Kouka for the greater part of my life. If I couldn't make my own money, then I'd be ashamed of myself. Besides, it isn't that much money." Zeno offered._

 _Ao sighed, realising he was fighting a losing battle.  
_ " _Fine. I suppose a proper bed does sound like a good idea..."  
Zeno laughed. "I knew you wouldn't be able to say no to _that _!"_

 **NORMAL TIME…**

It was mid morning. Most of the townspeople had already woken up and had started their days work, whether it be repairing the town or selling merchandise. The local fishermen had headed down to the docks at dawn, so no one had seen them.

Ao stretched, yawning. He hadn't slept in a proper bed in… his whole life…

Maybe staying in Awa wasn't as bad as he thought it would've been. He wouldn't admit it though. If Zeno asked, he would say it was… pleasant enough… or something like that…

' _Maybe I can allow myself a day or two more in Awa… but I can't get comfortable…_ ' Ao thought. ' _Then_ … _off to that red haired girls group… Finally…_ '

Ao gave a small smile. Things were finally going well… He just hoped it stayed that way for a while longer…


	12. The Last Time

**A/N: Chapter twelve!  
I really must apologise. This chapter is two days late! I was going to do it last night, but I had internet problems, and the page stopped responding...  
And, on top of that, last week I was quite tired, so when I was saying which chapter the reunion chapter should be, I accidentally wrote the wrong chapter number...  
I'm so sorry!  
To make up for it, the next two chapters are going to be longer than normal, because they'll be quite special, important chapters.  
Also, I wrote a timeline to make sure I don't get the chapter numbers wrong again!  
Again, I'm sorry, and here's chapter twelve!**

* * *

Ao walked down the main road, towards the entrance of the port town. Or, in his case, the exit. He was finally leaving Awa. It was time for him to follow the trail Zeno had been leaving and join their group. If they would let him, that is... At least Zeno would probably say something... Say that he should stay... Hopefully...

A majority of the shops had been mostly, if not fully repaired. Being a port town, they needed to be ready for any and all trades.

People had started to walk around the town again. Women had begun to walk around without hiding or checking around every corner.

Ao walked past several people as he headed down the road, most of them not noticing him, but some of them giving a nod – people that he'd seen around the town in the past week. One particular woman who walked past started a conversation with him.

"You look like that kid in the mask..." The woman said. Ao turned around. Not expecting anyone to actually stop and talk with him, he had switched off from the world, and had just walked along. It took him a few moments to realise someone had said something, and had needed to turn back since he had already walked past them.

"Hm...?" Ao looked more confused than he had intended.  
"You look like that kid in the mask, from the group of kids that joined us the other day. Shin-Ah, they said his name was." The woman explained.  
"Shin-Ah..." Ao murmured.  
' _He has a name...? That's good..._ ' Ao thought. He allowed himself to give a small smile. The woman noticed this.

"Do you know him?" She asked.  
Ao didn't answer. He covered it up by asking a question back.  
"Who are you? I haven't seen you before... Not to be blunt, but… why are we talking?" He asked.

The woman smirked. "I'm Gigan. I used to be the captain of the pirates of Awa." She extended a hand towards Ao. He looked at it, hesitating. This would be the first time he would introduce himself to someone...  
"I'm... Ao..." He said, accepting the handshake.  
Gigan chuckled slightly. "Are you sure? You don't seem so sure about it."

"At least, now I'm certain of one thing." Gigan said.  
Ao looked at her, confused again.  
"You do know Shin-Ah." she stated.

Ao went through his memory, trying to remember if he had said something he hadn't meant to... Nope... Not that he knew of...  
"How do you know that?" He asked, still trying to work it out.  
Gigan smirked again. "Because he has a squirrel with the same name."  
"Eh!?" Ao didn't bother to hide his surprise.

' _He... Named a squirrel after me..._ ' Was all Ao could think.

"...Anyway... Any idea which way they headed off?" Ao hastily changed the subject. Zeno _was_ leaving a trail, but he wouldn't have joined up with the group the moment they'd left Awa. As long as Ao had a general idea of where they were going, he'd be able to find the trail easily.

"Are you following them?" Gigan asked. A fair enough question.  
A man – who bears some resemblance to a kid who wears a suspicious mask, has a squirrel named after him that belongs to said kid – asks where a group of young people went without any context. Who wouldn't be suspicious?  
"...Sort of..." Ao answered eventually.  
"Then why didn't you find them here in Awa a week ago? It seems like you just missed them by a day or two by the time you got here."  
Ao hesitated. How could he explain it? The only person who could understand what he was doing was Zeno. And he could only understand it because... Well, because he was Zeno...

"It was too early then... I'm waiting, until-" Ao stared, but Gigan cut him off.  
"Until they find the last dragon?" She assumed. Ao nodded slowly, a little suspicious. "Jae-ha is the current Ryokuryuu. They've got three of the dragons, so it's obvious that they're looking to gather all of them." Ao nodded. This made sense.

"They headed off straight from the entrance, then followed the path for a while. At least, that's where Jae-ha said he would be waiting for them..." Gigan finally answered Ao's question, pointing to the small part of the cliffs that could be seen over the townhouses. "If not, then he's been in a tree somewhere up there for a week now…" she added. She said it humerously, but something in her voice made Ao think she wasn't kidding either…

"If you are going to see them, could you do me a favour?" Gigan asked hesitantly. It looked like she wanted to say something, but at the same time was thinking she shouldn't.  
Ao nodded for a third time, to tell her to continue.  
"Watch out for them. They are only kids after all. And especially Jae-ha. He's an idiot, like the rest of the pirates, but he's like a son to me, and I don't want to see anything bad happening to my family." Gigan explained.  
Ao sighed. "I know the feeling all too well..."

With everything that had needed to be said out of the way, the two exchanged goodbyes before heading off in their separate directions again.

* * *

After walking along the path Gigan had pointed out for half the morning, Ao had found a small clearing that looked as though it had been disturbed recently. He looked around, looking for any signs – maybe a mark in the trunk of a tree – that would indicate which way he needed to go next. It took a few minutes, but he eventually found a small arrow roughly drawn into the base of a tree, clearly pointing in a certain direction.

Ao gave a small smile. Zeno was clever. If anyone else had seen it, they would've thought that it was just some damage from an animal or a careless traveller.

He followed the marks, which were on trees every few metres. They alternated between being cut into the tree below a branch, to make it look as though the tree was breaking under the weight of the branch, and near the bottom where they were disguised as scuff marks. There wasn't any specific pattern between the two location of the two types of marks, which made it seem all the more natural for anyone who wasn't looking for it. Zeno had really outdone himself...

* * *

It was mid evening by the time Ao finally found something different to the marks. It wasn't a cross, or a message saying 'stop here'. Leaning against a tree was none other than Zeno.

"I'm guessing by the fact your here means I shouldn't go any further?" Ao asked, fairly certain he was correct.  
"Mn. We've made camp further up ahead. If you came any closer, Seiryuu could see you." Zeno answered.  
Ao looked at him, confused. "I thought he had a name now..." He trailed off.  
"He does, but I still call the dragons by what dragon they are. Habit, I guess." Zeno said. "There's been too many names I've had to remember over the years..."  
"I know how you feel. It's probably the reason I only ever called him 'Seiryuu' for four years..." Ao agreed.  
Zeno laughed. "No, it's because you didn't know you had enough creativity to be a poet until a year later!" He teased.

Ao frowned, apparently not amused. But Zeno could tell he was smiling on the inside.  
"Anyway, I need to get back before Hakuryuu starts to worry too much. But wait here, or someone a bit further back if you want to be safe. You should be fine." Zeno told him.  
Ao sighed. "I've spent the last fourteen years waiting and walking. But tonight's going to feel like an eternity..."

Zeno gave a small laugh, that somehow didn't seem genuine. "I hope for your sake, that it's not..."

* * *

 **Quick Note: The reason Ao caught up so quickly was because the group went to visit Ik-soo for a couple of days (while Ao was still in Awa), and then they backtracked a bit after leaving.**


	13. Revelations

**A/N: There are so many red squiggly lines on my computer, because it can't understand Japanese names apparently...  
** **Notes on this chapter will be at the end...**  
 **Enjoy!  
(This chapter is in the view of the happy hungry bunch [even though they're not named that yet, it's just easier to say it that way, we all know who they are anyway])**

* * *

"Alright! Yona, go with Hak and hunt for something we can stew for dinner." Yoon said.  
"Okay! Come on, Hak…" Yona tugged on the ex-general's sleeve, pulling him into the forest with her.

"Kija, Zeno." Yoon spun around to face them. "You guys can go and get some more firewood, we're almost out."  
"Let's go, Hakuryuu!" Zeno said happily, and dragged Kija by his dragon hand before he could protest.

"Jae-ha, I need you to go get some water. There's a stream a short way away. Just jump it, you'll get it done in no time." Yoon told him.  
' _You say that so easily_ ' Jae-ha thought, but went to gather a few of the water skins nevertheless.  
Finally, Yoon turned to Shin-Ah.

"Shin-Ah, its your turn to watch the camp today. Jae-ha will probably be the first back, so make sure he doesn't get into any trouble while we're gone!" he explained, calling out the last part loud enough for Jae-ha to hear.  
Shin-Ah nodded silently to show he understood.

"Ah, Yoon, it hurts that you distrust me so much…" Jae-ha mocked sadness.  
"I don't distrust _you,_ just the kind of trouble you can _cause_ …" Yoon whispered to himself.

Jae-ha walked back to where the two younger boys were standing.  
"And where will you be while the rest of us are out getting everything?" Jae-ha asked Yoon.  
"I'm going to scout around the area for herbs and medicinal plants if you must know." he explained. "We're quite low on our own stock, and if we're reading the map correctly, we should be reaching a town in the near future. We can sell some plants for money. Or did you forget that we're broke?"

Jae-ha smiled and raised his hands defensively. "Just asking…"

Yoon set off in a random direction into the surrounding forest. Jae-ha turned around once more before he left.  
"See you in a bit, Shin-Ah. Try not to miss me too much." he called over his shoulder, and then jumped over the trees and out of sight.

* * *

Shin-Ah focused as he slashed with his sword again. Everyone admired how good he was with a sword, but there was always room for improvement. Even if you're good at something, you need to practise to make sure you stay good.

After everyone had left, he had been left alone. Faced with the option of practising with his sword or doing nothing until someone came back, he had opted to practise.

He didn't even have Ao to talk to like usual – Yona had taken the squirrel with her while she went hunting with Hak…

* * *

Yoon had been correct – Jae-ha was the first one back. He returned in his usual style – by making a big entrance – even if Shin-Ah was the only one around to see it.

"I'm back, Shin-Ah!" Jae-ha called as he put all of the newly filled water skins down again.  
Shin-Ah looked over and sheathed his sword. With the green dragon back, he'd need to be able to focus on him completely to make sure he didn't start any trouble.

* * *

' _Where could he have gone?!_ ' Kija wondered. ' _What if he's just wandered off somewhere and isn't coming back?! Or if he's lost! How can I tell the others that I lost the yellow dragon while collecting firewood!?_ '

As Kija started to become more and more frantic, Zeno walked up to him.  
"What's wrong, Hakuryuu?" Zeno asked casually.

"ZENO!? Where did you go before!? Don't scare me like that!" Kija yelled, becoming flustered.  
"Sorry, Hakuryuu. Zeno thought he saw some good firewood over there." Zeno emphasised by pointing to a direction close to where he had gone, but not exactly, just in case Kija wanted to check it out.

"O…Okay… just… tell me next time!" Kija stammered.  
"Sure thing, Hakuryuu!" Zeno said happily.

The two dragons went back to collecting firewood, with Kija keeping a closer eye on Zeno.

* * *

"Do you want some water?" Jae-ha asked Shin-Ah. The two had sat down since there was nothing to do until the others came back. When everyone had left, it had been mid evening. The sun had been setting, leaving a golden glow over all of Kouka. Only a short while later, the two were sitting in almost complete darkness save for the fire in the middle of the camp area.

Shin-Ah gave a small nod. The green dragon threw him one of the water skins from near where he was sitting. The blue dragon didn't immediately take a drink, but instead put it down next to him for later.

"Shin-Ah…" Jae-ha started quietly. He didn't have his usual confidence in his voice. "Why do you always wear a mask? I mean, I know its to hide your eyes, but… why…?"

The blue dragon looked away, not replying. Jae-ha thought that perhaps he wouldn't answer, but he did.  
"It's… comforting…" He answered eventually.

Jae-ha leaned back against a tree and looked at the ground. He wasn't disappointed, he hadn't expected to get anything more from the conversation. A rustling noise caused him to look back up. As much as he didn't want to, he couldn't help his mouth falling open almost comically.

Shin-Ah had removed his mask and was now looking up at him. He wasn't making any attempt to hide his eyes, either. Jae-ha couldn't help but stare, transfixed by the sight. It was the first time their eyes had met properly.

"So… beautiful…" he said.  
"No-" Shin-Ah started.  
"Trust me!" Jae-ha cut him off. "I know beauty when I see it, and your eyes, Shin-Ah, are beautiful."  
Shin-Ah looked away again, but didn't reply.

Jae-ha leaned back against the tree again, keeping his gaze on the younger dragon. Realising something, he started the conversation again.  
"Aren't you going to put your mask back on?" Jae-ha asked, confused.  
Shin-Ah shook his head slowly. "No… Sometimes its nice to just keep it off for a while…"  
Jae-ha nodded, content with the answer.

Shin-Ah leaned back against a nearby tree.  
"My predecessor always told me not to use my eyes." He explained.  
The older dragon opened one eye, having closed them to relax.  
"…What…?"  
"You asked before, why I always wear a mask. It's because… my predecessor always told me I should never use my eyes…" Shin-Ah repeated.

"I know how you feel." Jae-ha offered. Shin-Ah met his eyes again. The green dragon continued his own explanation. "When I was in my own village, I loved the feeling of jumping into the sky, being free. But my predecessor would always catch me before I could escape. I left after he died, he couldn't follow me any more, they couldn't keep me there…"

Shin-Ah nodded again. "My village was the opposite. If they'd had the opportunity, they would've gotten rid of me."

A silence hung between the two for a while. Neither of them had discussed their pasts with anyone else before this time, making it somewhat awkward, but relieving.

"…Can I ask you one more question, Shin-Ah?" Jae-ha asked. He waited until the younger dragon nodded his approval before he continued.  
"You said your predecessor told you to never use your eyes… Have you?" he was hesitant, aware that it would be a delicate topic for the other dragon.

"Once…" Shin-Ah whispered, equally, if not more hesitant than Jae-ha. "When I was young, just after my predecessor died. Soldiers came to try and find me. I was… scared… I wasn't good enough with a sword, so I couldn't protect the village. So I used my eyes…" The younger dragon looked away again. The memory was painful.

"I'm sorry… You didn't have to say anything if you didn't want to, I wouldn't have forced you…" Jae-ha started. He was being more considerate than usual, an emotion he usually only displayed around women.

"No… its good to finally talk about it…" Shin-Ah said, giving a very small smile.  
Jae-ha opened his mouth to reply, but couldn't think of anything to say before the blue dragon spoke again.

"The others are back…" he said shortly, putting his mask back on.  
Jae-ha turned around, seeing that this was true. They were quite far away, but their colourful clothing, that didn't exactly blend in, did stand out.  
"Don't… tell the others I was all sentimental and caring around you… okay…? I've got a reputation to uphold, after all!" Jae-ha joked softly, knowing that the others wouldn't be able to hear him from the distance, but didn't want to take a chance on it anyway.  
Shin-Ah nodded. "As long as you don't tell them you saw my eyes…" he offered.  
"Deal…"

Soon enough, the others arrived at their makeshift camp, talking rather loudly.

"And then the princess came crashing through the forest scaring them all away…" Hak finished what had seemed to be yet another story to rile Yona or Kija.  
"I'm sure it wasn't her fault!" Kija yelled, defending said princess.  
"Kija, don't worry about it. It _was_ my fault we don't have anything to stew tonight…" Yona's voice came from somewhere behind the two arguing men.

They all stepped into the clearing, where Shin-Ah was still sitting and Jae-ha had stood up to walk around somewhere.  
"Jae-ha didn't cause any trouble, did he?" Yoon asked immediately.  
Shin-Ah shook his head silently.

"Good… Well I hope everyone doesn't mind stew with no meat. We'll just have to put up with it for tonight." Yoon announced.  
The group all nodded, some of them making noises of gruff approval, knowing they wouldn't be able to do anything about it even if they wanted to.

* * *

 **A/N: Alrighty... notes...  
1) I thought the actual moment when Jae-ha saw Shin-Ah's eyes was rather anticlimactic, so I thought this would be kinda cute to do.  
2) This chapter is at the same time as the last chapter, so when Zeno disappears while collecting firewood, that's when he went to go see Ao in the last chapter.  
3) Sorry if the dialogue was a bit awkward... and the whole mushy-ness of the chapter...  
** **4) The reason Jae-ha said "I know how you feel" was because neither Shin-Ah or Jae-ha were allowed to use their powers when they were young, so he was sort of saying that he knew what the feeling of being restricted was like, if that makes sense...**


	14. Reunion

**A/N: I was going to have this done by last Friday, as a "Merry Christmas, here's a chapter a day early!", but I couldn't get it done. I wanted this chapter to be as good as possible. I knew if I pushed myself to finish it by Friday I probably wouldn't have been happy with it, so I took my time and got it done properly.  
Also, yesterday was my fanfiction birthday! I'm a year old!  
Notes will be at the end of the chapter...  
 _Enjoy_... Because this chapter was called _Reunion_ for a reason...  
(It's set just before chapter 41, before the whole "Hakuryuu Scale" thing...)**

* * *

"Zeno... I don't know if I'm ready for this..." Ao said nervously.

It was finally happening.

"You'll never be ready for it... If you keep waiting until you think you're ready, you'll be waiting you're whole life..." Zeno replied. He gave a small laugh. "I'll hold your hand if you want!"  
"Uh... I'll pass..."

The two men reached the makeshift campsite. Zeno had planned it out so they could approach the campsite without being seen - by coming from behind Shin-Ah, so he wouldn't be able to see them before they wanted him to.

"...it's the perfect situation to prove that he's seeing a woman." Came Jae-ha's voice.  
Zeno, who was standing just in front of Ao, turned around to whisper to him.  
"Shall we have some fun?" he asked sneakily.  
Ao smirked - the look he reserved for just before he would've killed someone who had run from the village. But in this case, it was humour. He nodded.

"Alright... In a few moments, when you get the chance, say..." Zeno leaned in even closer and lowered his voice to make sure Ao, but no one else, would be able to hear.

* * *

The group had been rudely awoken the morning after their meatless stew. They had been expecting a quiet, slow morning, where they could pack up slowly before eventually heading out into the road again.

What they hadn't expected was to be woken up by a very loud, screaming Kija.

"HE'S GONE!" Kija screamed.

Everyone sat up quickly.  
"Kija! What is it?!" Yona asked immediately.  
"Yeah, White Snake. What kind of dream could you have had to cause you to scream like that?" Hak asked in his usual dry but joking tone.

"IT WASN'T A DREAM! HE'S REALLY GONE! AGAIN! THIS IS THE SECOND TIME IN TWO DAYS!" Kija continued to scream.  
"Kija! Calm down! Now, tell us. What happened?" Yona attempted to calm the white dragon.  
Kija nodded, took a few deep breaths, then started his explanation.

"Zeno. Is. Gone! I woke up, and I was going to get a drink, so I looked around so I would wake up properly, and Zeno was nowhere to be seen!"

"Kija... Did you ever think that perhaps he left for a reason? Maybe he went to search for food, or to relieve himself... Or maybe he's just wandering around somewhere. He is Zeno after all..." Yoon suggested.  
"But..." Kija started quietly.  
"I'm sure he'll be fine, Kija." Yona said happily. She seemed oddly confident, considering they only just met the yellow dragon a few days before.

"But... He disappeared yesterday too! While we were collecting firewood! I turned around to ask him something, and he was gone! He came back soon enough... He said he 'saw some good firewood', but he was acting really suspicious about it all..." Kija admitted. He wasn't originally going to tell the others about it, but he seemed to have no choice considering it's importance.

Off in another direction, there was a small laugh. Everyone turned to look at Jae-ha.  
"Maybe... He's gone to see a woman..." The green dragon suggested.  
"Not everyone is as perverted as you, droopy eyes. Not everyone is into that kind of stuff." Hak grumbled.  
"Think about it." Jae-ha started. "This is the second time he's sneaked away _that we know of_ \- he could've left plenty of times when the rest of us were asleep. And, he's provided a dodgy cover story that we don't believe. If you think about it, it's the perfect situation to show that he's seeing a woman."

Kija opened his mouth, prepared to defend his fellow dragon brother, when Yona spoke.  
"Jae-ha does make a good point..." She whispered.  
The white dragon looked at her, aghast.  
"P...Princess! Surely you can't be agreeing with this!" He stuttered out.

"As much as I hate to say it, I agree with Jae-ha too..." Yoon admitted.  
Kija slumped down.  
"So... Are we just agreeing that Zeno is seeing a woman?"

No one replied immediately.

Before anyone _could_ reply, they were distracted by synchronised laughing coming from the forest.

"They think that _I'M_ a woman, that _YOU_ would sneak out to see every night! Ha! Unlikely!" A voice said.

Everyone turned around.

The voice come from behind where Shin-Ah had been sleeping. Which, unbeknownst to everyone else, had been chosen specifically as a part of a plan.

"Only unlikely?! Zeno thinks you mean _IMPOSSIBLE_!" Cam another voice, which thy successfully identify as Zeno's.

Zeno and the mysterious voice - who definitely was _not_ a woman - laughed again.  
"I'm not sure whether or not I should feel offended..." The unknown man spoke again.

Zeno and the man stepped into the clearing that was the makeshift campsite.

Shin-Ah hadn't needed them to step into the clearing to be able to see them - his eyes had been able to see who the mysterious man was before they had done so. He had tried to remain impassive as the two had joked, thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him, or he was still sleeping and it was a dream. But the two stepping into the clearing only proved that it was real, and that he had seen correctly.

' _No... It can't be him... I was there... When he... I saw..._ ' Shin-Ah thought. His mind was racing, trying to keep up with and process what he was seeing.

Shin-Ah stood up, starting to instinctively back away from where the two men had walked into the clearing; nearest to him. He didn't care what the others were thinking. He just knew he didn't believe _who_ was in front of him.

"Seiryuu... I..." Ao started, but for the first time in many years, he was lost for words.  
"How... I was there... I saw you..." Shin-Ah tried to form a sentence, but couldn't quite manage.  
"Seiryuu... Shin-Ah... It's him..." Zeno put in.

Shin-Ah looked between Zeno and Ao.  
"Why...why are you here?" He asked.  
Ao sighed. "To see you..." He answered truthfully.

For a while, no one spoke - Shin-Ah and Ao both taking in the situation, Zeno watching them, and the others too confused to ask.

"So... What's going on exactly?" Jae-ha asked, as if he wasn't cutting in on an emotional conversation.  
"Jae-ha! Shut up! You're ruining a beautiful moment between Shin-Ah and... This guy!" Kija yelled at the green dragon.

They looked back to the newcomer when he made a noise somewhere between a laugh and a noise of annoyance.  
"I'd hardly call this moment 'beautiful'... More... 'Awkward' than anything." Ao said afterwards.

"How long have you been..." Shin-Ah started, but didn't finish his question - mostly because he still didn't believe what he was seeing.  
"Alive?" Ao finished for him. He waited, Shin-Ah nodded. "Fourteen years. I was living in the old village. Occasionally I went to the new village... I saw you, once..." Ao admitted. "Did you ever see me? At any point, did you look up onto the cliffs and see someone standing there?"  
"Once... I thought I saw someone... Up on the cliffs, behind a tree... I thought it was just one of the villagers..." Shin-Ah said quietly.

"I hate to ruin the moment... But we really need to pack up and head off. We've already wasted enough of the morning talking about what Zeno does in his spare time. Any chance we had of being able to take the day slowly is gone, we'll have to make up for it by moving quickly." Yoon interrupted them.

Yona got up and walked over to where Ao was still standing near Zeno.  
"Um... If you don't have anywhere to go... I can see you want to talk to Shin-Ah... Do you want to travel with us?" Yona asked.

Ao gave one of his rare, genuine smiles.  
"I was hoping you'd ask..." He admitted sheepishly.

"Save it for the road, people! We need to get moving!" Yoon yelled at them.  
"Sorry, Yoon!" Yona called over her shoulder. She turned back to Ao.  
"I'm Yona! What's your name?"  
She held out her hand, similar to when she had asked Shin-Ah to join her.  
"Ao." He said simply, reaching out to shake her hand.

Ao saw her hesitate as she had a moment of realisation. He knew what she was thinking, thanks to what Gigan had told him.  
"Yes... He named a squirrel after me..." He looked over Yona's shoulder as he spoke, in the direction of where Shin-Ah was helping to pack up the camp, said squirrel balanced on his head.  
Yona have a small, almost cute laugh. "That's sweet."

"I look forward to travelling with you!" She called over her shoulder as she walked back towards what had been her sleeping area, not giving him a chance to reply.

Ao was left standing alone for a few minutes, watching the others pack up.  
"I hope you're ready to walk again, Ao. The lad is relentless. He'll make us walk for practically the whole day." Zeno whispered, coming up beside him.

"Hmph... I knew all that walking between and around the villages would be useful for something..." Ao joked.  
Zeno smiled and walked away. He knew Ao wouldn't admit it, but his gruff exterior was falling away to reveal his more caring side.

Which... Also came with his bad sense of humour...

* * *

The group spent the whole day travelling, occasionally stopping to rest. No one spoke much. Ao walked at the back, with Zeno who had been kind enough to stay near him. Shin-Ah was walking at the front, seemingly trying to avoid him. Ao could understand that - it must be weird for him, for the only person he had ever known prior to him leaving the village reappearing after fourteen years of supposedly being dead.

Then again, on the other hand, it was weird for Ao too. Being so close yet so far from his successor. But if Seiryuu (because even if he had a name, he'd always be 'Seiryuu' to Ao) needed time and space, then he could have as much time and space as he needed.

But it was weird in another way too...

Every time Ao looked at him, he felt a mix of pride, sadness and pain altogether.  
Pride, because he could definitely be proud of him, even if he would never freely admit it...  
Sadness, for the life that was chosen for him, that practically destroyed his childhood...  
Pain, because he was the only memory left of _her_ , he was the living memory of the woman he had so desperately tried to forget but couldn't...

Ao shook his head, trying to think of something else.  
Anything else...

* * *

"Alright. We should probably stop for the night." Yoon announced as the group reached a suitable camp area.

"Ugh... Finally..." Kija mumbled as he literally fell against a fallen log.  
Everyone had been trying to hide their exhaustion, but couldn't keep it up any longer - one by one, they all started falling down, until Yoon was the only one standing.

" _Really_?! We haven't walked that much! No more than usual!" he yelled at them. He sighed, resting his head in his hands. "Shin-Ah, its your turn to get some firewood. And take this guy with you..." he gestured towards Ao. "If he's going to travel with us, he needs to earn his stay..."  
Shin-Ah looked up at Yoon, then over to Ao. He gave a silent nod, then got up and started into the forest.  
"You should hurry, or Seiryuu will leave you behind, and the lad will get angry." Zeno muttered to Ao.

Ao got up and walked to where Shin-Ah had left from. He had expected to need to walk quickly to be able to catch up to the blue dragon, but was surprised when he looked up to see him waiting next to a tree.  
The older man muttered a quick 'lets go', before heading deeper into the forest.

* * *

The two spent most of the time in complete silence. Both wanted to talk, but neither wanted to start the conversation. Eventually, though, Shin-Ah spoke.

"Ao..." he whispered.  
"Mm?" The older man straightened up from where he had been crouched to pick up some wood. Shin-Ah hesitated before he spoke again.  
"...I've... missed you..." he said quietly.

From where he was standing, Ao walked the small distance between them. He rested an arm on Shin-Ah's shoulder.

"I've missed you too... Sort of..." Ao joked back. "I'm surprised you still remember me, after all these years. You were only... four...? when I left..."  
Shin-Ah gave a small smile. "Of course I remember you... You were the most important person to me... My only friend... I wouldn't forget you..." He left out the part that he had forgotten what Ao had looked like...

"Glad to hear it. Now, let's get back before everyone starts to suspect I've run off with you..."

Shin-Ah looked up, smile slowly getting bigger. "Would you do that?"  
Ao looked down, suddenly serious. "I was tempted, once. When the village was moving locations. I saw you, asleep, alone. I wanted to take you away from them..." he muttered quietly.  
Shin-Ah paused. He didn't want the conversation to be so serious...

"...Only once...? There weren't any other times?" he tried.  
Ao chuckled slightly. "Don't push your luck. That's for me to know..." He turned around again, to get more wood.  
"Ao?"  
He turned back to Shin-Ah, only to be tackled.

Or... hugged...

"Alright brat... Get off before someone see's and thinks I'm some kind of softie." Ao chastised him, keeping his happiness on the inside, as usual.  
"Sorry..." the blue dragon said, but was still smiling as he said it. He didn't detach himself.  
After a few seconds of hesitation, Ao hugged him back.  
"I'm serious... get off now..." he said.

They spent a few minutes picking up the wood they had found, since they had put it all down when they had started talking. They didn't say much, but it was a silent agreement that they wouldn't talk about what happened. It was just between them.

* * *

With dinner over and done with, everyone started heading off to bed. Usually, at least some of them would've stayed up for a while - talking and such - but everyone was too tired to do anything but sleep. Ao and Shin-Ah were leaning against a tree off to the side of the camp, quietly chatting about something.

Jae-ha was the last of the group to settle in.  
"Don't stay up talking too loudly. I need my beauty sleep!" he called over to the two men leaning against the tree.  
"Goodnight, Ryokuryuu..." Shin-Ah said softly.  
As Jae-ha laid down for the night, Ao stared blankly at Shin-Ah.  
He noticed, and turned slightly. "...What...?"  
"Don't turn into me... he does have a name..." Ao mumbled.  
Shin-Ah didn't reply - they ended up just staring at each other.

"You're a pest..." Ao joked eventually, leaning his head back against the tree, closing his eyes.  
"I thought I was a brat..." Shin-Ah replied quietly. Even though Ao couldn't see it, he could hear the smile in his voice.  
"Well... you can be a brat _and_ a pest, can't you?" Ao asked jokingly.  
The two laughed softly, not wanting to wake the others up.

"Goodnight, Ao..." Shin-Ah muttered, lying down.  
"Goodnight... Seiryuu..." Ao replied, smiling, happy that after fourteen years, he could finally say it again.

* * *

 **A/N: Notes...  
1) About the "the woman"... yes... I went there...  
2) I will be accepting requests. If there's a chapter from the manga you want me write (with Ao in it), tell me, and I'll see what I can do.  
3) I'm planning on starting another story, called "Alternative Outcomes" or something. It'll basically just be moments from Forgotten, but if they happened differently. For example, I had loads of ideas for how to do this Reunion chapter, and I ended up going with this idea. But in "Alternative Outcomes", I'd write all of the different ideas I had. And yes... There would also be one chapter for "If Ao didn't leave and instead continued to raise Seiryuu"...  
4) I don't know about anyone else, but I found it really sad in episode 14, when Shin-Ah said "I can't even remember the face of the man who meant so much to me.", and I'm not usually a person who gets emotional in movies/shows/books...  
5) Hint: the next chapter will either be on the 3rd of January, or sometime near it... there's a little clue as to what it could be about...  
**


	15. Ao and Ao

**A/N: I'm so sorry that it's been over a year since I've updated...  
(And sorry for the long Author Note ahead...)  
Some... things happened last year, and eventually, working on Forgotten became one of the last things on my priority list.  
I really wanted to work on it, since I had ideas that I had already started writing notes on, but time and motivation were big issues.**  
 **Luckily, 2017 is seeming to be a better year already, and I've got a few chapters written and waiting to be edited, and more that are just notes so far.**  
 **I actually finished this chapter a while ago, but I've had no internet for 2 months... So life's been fun...  
It's currently 2am and I'm using my mobile data to upload this chapter...**

 **In terms of the content of Forgotten, this chapter isn't really placed in any moment in time in particular, it was just something I wrote so that I'd have something I'd be able to upload while I edit some other, more important chapters.  
The next lot of chapters I've been writing haven't been the "main story line" in terms of the original manga, but more of the "main story line" for Forgotten that isn't directly related to the manga. The main reason for this is because since I don't have any internet, only a limited amount of data, and the fact that IKEA's free WiFi blocks manga websites, I can't read the manga to use it for reference points.  
There will be a few flashback chapters, but I'll make sure to say in the author's notes of those chapters if they are.  
Apart from this chapter, I've been trying to go the more emotional route on some of the chapters, and it's going pretty well.  
I can give you a little "preview" about some of the chapters... There will be some romance... but for who?  
**

 **I'm sorry for rambling (unfortunately it's something I do very often...) but I felt as though I should clear a few things up first.  
I can't say for certain when the next chapter will be up, but I'll try to get it done soon, probably either around this weekend or the weekend after when I can get to IKEA again (Their WiFi doesn't block FanFiction, yay!).  
And I promise I won't leave it for another year... You can hold me to that.  
(Because if I do I've got a friend who will message me to no end until I upload...)**

* * *

It was another day of wandering, not exactly knowing where they were going. The heat was making their journey slightly unpleasant. No one was talking much, trying to conserve their energy.

Ao was walking near the front, alone. There was no particular reason, that's just where he happened to be. The only other person in front of him was Yoon.

There were quiet laughs coming from the back, followed by some shuffling. Zeno shuffled up to stand beside Ao and held out a water skin.

"You look thirsty." he stated.

Ao hesitated. "You can't even see me from back there. How would you know."

Zeno pushed the water skin into his hands and then stopped walking to wait and rejoin the others. The quiet laughs started again.

 _'What are they planning...?'_ Ao thought.

Judging by their behaviour, he didn't quite trust the drink he now held in his hand. He took the top off and sniffed the contents. Nothing seemed off about it, but-

"Pukyuu~"

He looked up to see Ao the squirrel holding onto his hair and hanging upside-down. Her innocent, round eyes stared into his. He stopped walking suddenly.

"EH?!"

Everyone who had been walking behind him burst out laughing all of a sudden. Ao turned around to glare at them. The others had all stopped as well, doubled over in laughter. Even Shin-Ah was struggling to keep a straight face.

 _'So that's what they were up to…'_ Ao thought irritably.

He turned back around, expecting to see Yoon upset with the others for acting so childishly. Yoon had stopped and was still facing away from them all. Everyone at the back stopped laughing to look at Yoon, thinking it was odd for the genius pretty boy to not even tell them off.

And then Yoon cracked.

He was also bent over laughing now, which only caused the others to start again even louder than before.

"Hmph." Ao scowled and trudged ahead, walking off from the others who followed slowly behind.

He wasn't mad at all... Just... slightly peeved...

Ao the squirrel was now perched on top of his head, nestled quietly into the fluffiness that was his hair; which to the others, was almost unbearably adorable.

* * *

The group had stopped for lunch not long after they had recovered from their laughing fits. They had seated themselves under the shade of the trees near a stream. Rather than continuing their walk immediately, they chose to stop for a while longer than usual to cool down since there was no real reason for them to push themselves too much.

Ao was leaning against a tree with the squirrel still balanced on his head. She sat, nibbling on a strand of his hair. Oh well… He figured he needed to trim his hair eventually anyway... After a few minutes, she moved forwards and gripped onto the front of Ao's hair and was hanging upside down in front of him much like she had earlier. The small squirrel then tried to slide down onto Ao's shoulder, falling into his lap in the process. She turned over and looked up at the man, looking unnecessarily proud.

There was a time when Seiryuu used to do that... He'd climb all over Ao and would always end up upside-down, but he'd always look so happy afterward.

"If you think you're being cute, you're not." He tried, trying to convince himself more than anything else.

Ao tried to push the squirrel off, not wanting to think about what happened in the past any longer, but the squirrel remained where she was. She put one tiny paw up onto the hand that was trying to push her.

She was so tiny... So fragile...

Seiryuu had done that too. In his youngest years, for some reason, he had found it greatly amusing for the two of them to compare hand sizes. He had found it so astounding that Ao's hands were so much bigger than his, especially when Seiryuu's whole hand was only the size of one of Ao's fingers.

A shadow moved over Ao, snapping him out of any thoughts of the past he had been having, making him realise he must have been staring off into nothingness for a short while. He looked up to see Shin-Ah standing over him. The blue dragon sat down across from his predecessor, holding out something he had fished from a pocket.

"You can feed her." He said softly.

Ao didn't say anything in reply, but he reached out and accepted the acorn, which he then held down to the small squirrel. She looked at it, and took it from his hands, holding it in her own for a brief moment, thinking. She put it in her mouth and ran up his arm to perch herself on his shoulder again. Once there, she took the acorn from her mouth and pushed it towards his mouth. Ao turned his head to stare at her and then turned back to Shin-Ah.

"Seiryuu… Your squirrel is trying to feed me."

Shin-Ah smiled, but didn't say anything.

The squirrel ran back down Ao's arm after accepting defeat, and sat on his knee, where she proceeded to munch on her acorn. After she finished, she rolled over onto her side and curled up. Ao gave a small smile and offered one hand to the squirrel to sniff, and then started to stroke her soft head. Soon enough, she started to drift off to sleep like everyone else, happily settled in his lap.

Almost immediately after, Ao started to become aware of how weary he was himself. He wanted to lie down to sleep, but didn't want to have to move the poor animal and wake her up only moments after falling asleep. Shin-Ah saw this and quietly reached over to pick her up, letting Ao lie down. Once he was comfortable, Shin-Ah gently placed her back onto Ao's stomach, where she curled up again and remained asleep. Shin-Ah smiled affectionately. He looked around the area they had all collapsed in. Everybody else was sprawled around, either leaning on trees or against each other. He moved into a position that was comfortable to lie in – on his side, mask half off, using his furs as a pillow, as usual.

Seeing as it was such a hot day, when they all woke up, they agreed to not walk any further that day, instead staying by the stream for a little longer to try and keep cool. They set up for the night, knowing it would be useless to wait and try and walk any further when it would be cool enough to walk, seeing as it would probably be dark by that point.

* * *

 **It's actually quite difficult to write about two character with the same name...  
Which is the reason why Ao the squirrel hardly got mentioned by name...**


	16. Flashbacks and Blankets

**A/N: Okay... So...  
This chapter is a little bit... different...  
To be honest, I'm not really sure how I feel about it...?  
When I first started writing _Forgotten_ , I didn't actually have anything planned past the point of a few chapters. I honestly didn't think I was going to continue it.  
So when I started writing this chapter (and some other parts for it for the future) recently, I looked back on a few of the previous chapters thinking about things I would've changed to make this fit in more... Because I never really planned for this... But, I can make it work.**

 **And on another note...  
I have internet again! (Woohoo!)  
I finished this chapter a few days before I got my internet back, but I figured it would be a bit easier to wait until everything was sorted out rather than using my mobile data again...  
And after three months I've finally been able to get the opportunity to sit down and re-read the manga!  
So, assuming everything goes well, I should be able to get the next chapters done soon.  
And as for this chapter, notes will be at the end of the chapter...**

* * *

 **Important Note: This chapter is a flashback to when Ao would have been roughly 26-ish...  
**

* * *

Ao sat waiting outside his house. The villagers had decided that despite everything, even he should have a minimum standard of living. Which meant the introduction of someone turning up every month to mend his clothes (something he had never really been able to do himself…). They were sending a young woman from a poor family, they had needed the extra money, he guessed. Though, from what Ao could gather, her father was none too happy about the arrangement and would be joining her.

He watched carefully as the two started making their way down the hill towards him. The woman looked nervous, her father looked apprehensive, but angry. It was entirely possible he was drunk.

The woman sat down, unpacked her equipment and started her task immediately, not even looking at Ao. Her father sat next to her, watching her carefully, and occasionally sending a death glare or two towards Ao.

They didn't speak the entire time. Eventually, they packed up, and left. The woman was almost tripping over herself trying to run away, her father close behind her. It had been a rather uneventful affair. Then again, Ao really hadn't expect them to make idle conversation, anyway.

Though, he did perhaps expect more screaming and running…

* * *

The woman and her father had been making their monthly visits for almost a year. Every time was just as awkward as the previous month, though the woman did seem to not be as nervous as she had the first few times. She didn't jump at every little sound or movement, and she no longer fell over her own feet trying to run away at the end of each day, she now calmly walked.

This month was different. The woman came down the hill towards the small hut Ao called his home. Her father was nowhere to be seen. She reached the house. She was as nervous as the first time again.

"…My father is busy today…" she mumbled. Ao could hardly hear her.

From what he could hear, she had a nice voice. It would have been almost soothing if she would talk louder and with more confidence. Ao didn't reply; he doubted that she would want him to anyway.

With the woman's father no longer present to send death glares every few seconds, the silence was almost serene and comforting. Ao started to realise how tired he was. The night before had been extremely windy as it was quickly getting into the colder months of the year, and the one blanket Ao owned had been nowhere near warm enough. With the sun shining, and the gentle wind, Ao began to get drowsy. He spared a glance over to the woman; she didn't seem to particularly be minding him.

He moved from his usual position of leaning against the side of his house and laid down. The woman looked up from her sewing to him. Ao noticed this. He figured he should explain himself before she tried to run away.  
"I didn't get any sleep last night." He ground out. "Too windy…"  
The woman kept looking at him.

"…Don't you have any blankets…?" The woman asked quietly. It was the first time she had ever spoken to him directly. Ao moved slightly, trying to get more comfortable.  
"One. Doesn't do much though." He said simply.

The woman kept looking at him for a moment longer, thinking about something. She went back to her sewing; neither spoke for the remainder of the time.

* * *

The following month, Ao was surprised to see the woman walking down the hill alone again. She was holding something in her arms. Before sitting down, she walked over to Ao, holding out the bundle. She looked down at her feet. He couldn't quite make out her expression…  
"Here... A blanket for you… I… made it myself…"  
She pushed it into his hands, and then moved to take her usual place on the opposite side of the fire.  
Ao looked down at the blanket he now held in his hands. It had a thick weave and looked much warmer than anything he'd ever had. It felt soft…

"Where's your father?" Ao asked after a while.  
The woman looked up.  
"Well…" she started. "After last time, I told my father it wasn't necessary for him to join me any more…" She looked away. Ao continued to stare at her.  
"Why? Aren't you scared of me like all of the other villagers?" he asked.  
The woman smiled ruefully.  
"Well, the way I see it… If you wanted to kill me, you would've done it a long time ago…"

Ao faced the ground, but kept his gaze on her; not that she would know, since his eyes were hidden behind a mask… She was a curious woman. She wasn't like the other villagers. Well, not any more... Where she used to keep to herself, she was now at least somewhat willing to participate in idle conversation.

The afternoon went without any further events. Ao leaned against his house as usual, holding his new blanket close to his chest. Every now and then, when Ao would drift off, he'd wake up with a slight start, then having to readjust himself to a more comfortable position. When he would wake up, his arms would instinctively wrap around the blanket a little tighter. When that happened, he'd notice the very quiet giggles coming from the woman.

When she eventually got up to leave, Ao called her back quickly for the first time.  
"Wait!" he called suddenly. She turned around, and gave him a questioning look.  
Ao's mouth was dry. He swallowed.  
"…What's your name?"  
She closed her eyes and smiled, giving another small giggle.  
"Aiko."

She opened her eyes again.  
"And what about you? Do you have a name?"  
He stared at her.  
"Ao…"  
She gave him a little wave.  
"Goodbye, Ao!" And with that, she left, leaving a rather confused Ao alone again.

No one had called him by his name in a long time. But even further, there was something in the way she said it that was… different…

That night, he slept with his old blanket underneath him as a very welcome extra layer of padding, and his new blanket from Aiko covering him.  
It was warm.  
He was warm.  
He slept well that night, better than he had during the colder months in a very long time.

Though, through the whole night, he couldn't quite shake the feeling he had gotten from when Aiko had said his name…

* * *

 **A/N: Notes...  
1) Does everyone remember "the woman" from chapter 14...? Could this be her...?  
2) Would anyone be interested in a chapter solely about baby Ao...?  
3) I'm currently working on turning some of the funnier moments from this story into little comics. Once they're done I'll put them on my deviantart (which I'll put a link to on my profile for anyone who's interested)  
4) Whoops... I really do have a bad habit of rambling...  
**


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